royalcruz

On 2/4/2019 at 8:47 AM, Cyber Kat said:

 

That sounds like a good fit!  I like the helipad for sail away. The cruise we are looking at leaves from Fort Lauderdale and we haven’t sailed from that port yet. 

 

Also like the idea of having some snacks in the late afternoon. I do like an afternoon tea, but not every day. I can deal with the loud music as long as I have a place to escape when I want. 

 

Do they have any live cover bands?  That’s something we do like in the evening.

 

Thanks so much for the help every one. 

There is always a house band. They play at the pool and inside in the evenings. Ft. Lauderdale is a great city. Stay an extra night on the beach or downtown. Las Olas Blvd is the place to be in the evenings.

6 hours ago, chemmo said:

It is not always possible simply looking at the menu to know exactly what ingredients are in each course...

 

On board go and see the M’D of the restaurants you are interested in and explain your dietary needs. Do this at least the day before you wish to dine in each restaurant so that the chef can arrange the menu to suit you.

 

In our experience the food quality and attention to detail is better on X than on RC. Again when dining in Oceanview, ask about items you are uncertain about...

Thank you chemmo.  

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

IME, X is very good about accommodating dietary preferences...

 

You may want to submit the special request form in advance, as well let the M d' know upon embarkation and each eatery 24 hours in advance, when possible.

 

As noted by c above, in the OBC ask for an AM to go through the buffet with you to know what is good for you or not. There may be times when they can prepare something according to your deisres...

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

Thank you for the suggestions, Bo!

We really just need help with Eden and Le Petit Chef, as these are new to us and have what I would call orchestrated menus.

We don't like the Kosher meals, so we don't preorder them. We are fine with kosher fish and veggies and regular plates and silverware. We usually just work with the M d' to have kosher food and challah for Shabbat friday night....that way they won't buy all of those meals for us from the Kosher caterer that we won't eat...they don't guarantee kosher otherwise, but they always have enough in stock for one meal. For breakfast and lunch we go to the buffet and there are always plenty of choices that meet our dietary needs...we really don't like to bother the staff, as they have so much to do. 

34 minutes ago, orchestrapal said:

We eat similarly to your DH and have never had a problem on the premium or luxury lines.

We are also trying Celebrity Suites for the first time and I would assume with some notice we won’t have a problem there either.

Fish on ships frequently have strange but I keep the Chabad list on my phone so that I can always check.

Good luck and enjoy.!

I also have the chabad kosher fish list on my phone. It's the best! 

22 minutes ago, Oville said:

Your husband can substitute the seas bass for the steak.

He will be very happy to know that! Thank you!

We have a specialty dining package on the Edge and I'm trying to figure out if we will be able to dine in Eden or Le Petit Chef.

My DH only eats vegetarian plus kosher fish (no shellfish and must have fins and scales), so it depends on how flexible they are.

For those who have experienced special requests, do you think we can do the following?

In Le Petit Chef, the regular menu is ok except for the steak...could we have that menu but substitute only the alternative menu seabass for the steak? There is the regular menu and the alternative menu, but DH couldn't eat the onion soup stock or the chicken on the alternative menu.

In Eden, there is a 5 course menu. DH cannot eat anything in the first or 4th courses, but he could eat both of the offerings in the 2nd course. At Wonderland on Royal Caribbean, we just gave the server our restrictions and he was able to provide a great multi-course experience, so we'd love it if they could do something like that. Has anyone done this?

For those of you who are reading and don't know the menus, here they are:

https://eatsleepcruise.com/2019/01/celebrity-edge-restaurant-menus-and-guide/

Thank you in advance for your help

I think that a suite on Celebrity will be the perfect fit for you. The aft corner S1 Sky Suites on Equinox are highly recommended and well priced. Almost all suite bookings include drinks, internet, gratuities, and credit (some exceptions are senior and resident rates). Dining in Luminae is anytime dining and the food and service are excellent. You get good sized Bulgari bath products and a bath tub. There is a suite concierge lounge where the butlers serve afternoon tea. The butlers try to provide anything that you ask for within reason. We don't go to the tea service, so we request that they deliver alternating vegetarian canapes, crudite, or cut fruit to snack on at the end of the day. You'll probably be invited to the Helipad for a sailaway. There aren't a lot of children in Celebrity. 😊 

The entertainment is very good, but the public areas sometimes have music that is too loud. The ships are a good size but don't feel overcrowded.

Is there a bar at Grand Plaza Cafe?

If you are in an Edge IV with upper berth, please report back and let us know whether or not, when it is in CLOSED position, it is completely receded into the wall, or if it sticks out a few inches. Thank you.

We got mostly decent cell coverage in Alaska with Verizon in ports. Icy Straight Point wasn't great, but the bartender at the dock restaurant told us where to stand. It also depends on whether your phone is 4G or 3G. We used our Elite minutes in the iLounge, because we tend to forget to sign out on our devices and then go way over.

They only allow a set number of reservations online, because they have to hold back enough times for packages and individual bookings onboard. When they are all booked, the restaurant is removed from the Cruise Planner.

Also check flights to/from FLL. We all use Uber and Lyft down here.

There are a few Starbucks on Duval St in Key West. There are a few bars/restaurants in Nassau along the waterfront near the terminal...one is Pirate Brewing Co. There is also a Starbucks downtown that might have wifi. Have fun!

I'm so grateful for this thread! I will be sure to pack a sleep mask when we go on the Edge,as my husband wakes up way before I do to say morning prayers on the veranda....it's the main reason we get veranda rooms! Also, we like to leave the curtains open a bit so that we know it's morning instead of using an alarm clock.  It's too bad that they didn't run a proper practicality test on the new concept.

Celebrity rooms and Verandas feel bigger than that of standard veranda rooms on Regal Princess. Service is inconsistent on both lines. I would recommend a suite or Aqua. I should also say that I've only had good service in the MDR on Celebrity, but I've heard many complaints.

1 hour ago, PelicanLvr said:

For details go to the X website and click:

---Menu (upper left)

---Cruise Deals

---Edge meets the Fleet

 

Seems to be a perk for new bookings on any ship...but not applicable to existing reservations.

 

 

Promos often say "new bookings". I called and they are sticking to it on this one.

2 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

TA promotional group rates ARE combineable with the current national offer (Big/Better/Best) that is available as of the date the client books into the group, just like any regular booking. ... 

The key here is the # of "perks" at the "base" offer Celebrity is giving to regular bookings as of the day the booking is made by the client - NOT when the group was created by the agency.  Some less experienced agents are not aware that the Big/Better/Best can be added to group rates.....

Also, promos can be switched out for better new promos too if the TA calls Celebrity! 🙂

So from what you are saying they changed the policy since the last time I tried to upgrade group reservations from BETTER to BEST (it has been a couple of years). That is very good to know! For people who like the premium drinks package it could work out to be good value. 

If the TA got you into one of their group rates, the price difference for BEST can be huge!

I can't imagine why the TA would have recommended the virtual balcony instead of the Central Park balcony. Keep checking and I hope the price drops again. 

I did 2 jewelry classes on Allure. The supplies were really low quality, but I had no experience so i learned a few skills. I made a necklace/earring set and a necklace/bracelet/earrings set. The classes are led by the regular activities staff.

I usually get the best deals in October.

Please, Royal, focus more on service and less on entertainment in the MDR!

When you look at the list of excursions, there might be some that are listed as "accessible".

Funny, I got an email yesterday with a link to the Cruise Planner for a 1 night cruise January 1st from Miami that i didn't book!

Most US travel agents are only allowed to make a Celebrity booking if there is a US or Canadian resident or citizen in the stateroom.